homegrowing

More homeschool health funnies…

Q: Why should you not comb your hair when it is soaking wet?

student’s answer:  so that the hair stays on

teacher’s manual answer:  Wet hair stretches and breaks easily

hehe.

Ving was reading his A Beka health aloud to me the other day while I was busy working in the kitchen (before the miscarriage)…

“Most democrats contain chemicals which destroy bacteria on your skin, thus they help control the odor that is produced.”

I’m not a political gal.  I vote republican, but I am not proud of all that either.

It can be overwhelming with all the  political debates, health care reform, and bashing of parties.   I’m a patriot, but mostly tune  out politics unless I am shown where I can take action or vote.

As Ving was reading, I wasn’t there 100%.  My mind was subconsciously  listening, and rose to alertness, wondering how the democrats made it into his health book too!   Politics seem to be everywhere lately.

Then I came to my senses and responded:

“Honey, that’s deodorants… not democrats.”

We laughed.

What a white 2010 we’ve had!  The kids are loving it, and we are keeping warm.

Well, trying to anyway. 

Last night our furnace stopped working.  It was COLD.  Due to living in a long ranch, we have two furnaces, so we all snuggled into two bedrooms on the warmer side of the house for the night.   I requested an emergency visit from our heating and cooling company, and they came to the rescue this afternoon.

Why am I telling you this?  

Because it involves homegrowing, of course.

I kindly wrote my $130.68 check to the service man.   Expensive, yet no parts required to get  “the furnace to cycle fine”.

$79.00 for the emergency diagnostic visit.

$42.00 for…..

are you ready?????

“removal of snow blockage plugging the inhale pipe”

Matt, the service man,  and his detective skills reported that there were no footprints around the pipe outside.  He suspected that perhaps the wind and snow swirled into the pipe, causing snow build-up.

I can’t believe I settled for his detective work.  I should have known better.

While talking to my mom on the phone later today, I was giving her the details of my day, including the $130.68 furnace fix.

Piping up in the background was my budding scientist….

“That pipe?  Oh, two days ago I stuffed it with snowballs.  My hypothesis was the heat smoke would melt the snow.  I must have been wrong.”

Well son, your hypothesis was wrong.

I did laugh.  I did. 

(Apparently furnaces have a no heat pressure switch that can turn off as a safety device.)

Dad felt his intentions were innocent.  Mercy was shown.  Discussions of being destructive of property…

What have you done with snow lately?   When you get bored of stuffing your furnace pipes with snowballs, we recommend building a snow-woman, sledding, snowball fights, snow-blowing, shoveling, and some hot cocoa!

It is beautiful out there.

Praises and worship to the Savior have echoed throughout the house today, the music is ringing.  Christmas decorations were brought out.  I love this time of year.  Today marks the first day of Advent calender.

Ving was really anticipating traditions and particulars, and it amazes me how our children declare that we have to d0 _____ because we do EVERY year… and I never even noticed that particular thing as a tradition.

Our artificial, wonderful, tree was resurrected today.   It has been “the only tree Ving has ever known”.    It smelled B.A.D.     Bad, as in every living creature in our barn must have lived, slept, ate, and did you-know-what in it all last year.  There was much evidence of their doings all over my living room floor after we shook the tree around to set it up.

As the house warmed up the tree, the odor worsened.  If I had closed my eyes, stood in my living room and took a big sniff, I’d have imagined days-old pee pee diapers hanging from the branches.

We discussed dousing it with toilet bowl cleaner out in the driveway and hosing it off.  We love that tree.  However, as we attempted to take it out for the washing,  we were gasping for air.   It quickly took up residence next to the garbage totes.

The Biggies (Dad included),  have a plan to add it to their pine tree forest next to their tree house, this week.  I’ll try to catch pics.   I told you it has a special place in our hearts.

We tossed around ideas of what to do now, do for a tree this year.    We considered going-green,  but I desired to get the tree up today.  We thought Christmas Day with no needles on our tree might not be so great.   We pondered getting a potted tree as we did our first Christmas without Tucker, but decided no – as I wouldn’t want to plant it and move away.   We settled on another artificial, that is pre-lit this time.  Yet, we questioned the height as we don’t know where we’ll be living in Christmas’ future.

Irv drove to Lowes and I took a Sunday nap with the Littles.  I awoke to a lovely 9 foot, pre-lit tree in the living room.   The boys were eager to do ornaments.  I love looking at all the photo-ornaments of Christmas’ past and sharing the stories behind the different hangings.   Our first married Christmas together,   we drove to Walmart to purchase our supplies.  Irv chose this angel, and she still sits atop 14 years later.

Hunter commented, “Mom, I held up an ornament of Tucker, so he could be in our tree photo too.”

Our first year without Tucker here, we purchased a train in his memory…. now he is with us in fun each holiday season around the tree.   I loved and savored all the boys setting it up with Dad and playing with it tonight.

Oh, Eden Grace helped with the train too.  Isaiah kept telling her “No” as she continued to squirm over to the box and reach in.  She doesn’t miss a thing.  (She loves starring at her Daddy.)

The Biggies are sleeping out under the tree as I type.  All are tucked in.  I feel a refreshing beginning of this Holiday season.

I also put together my CHRISTmas binder today.  It is ready to record wish lists, each persons desires for special to-do’s this month,  who we need to make / purchase gifts for, and our Holiday calender.  Being organized reduces the stress of the obligations & busyness.  I feel free to enjoy the True meaning of Christmas, CHRIST … and savor the more  important simple things of the CHRISTmas season.

The Nativity,  advent celebrations, and our CHRISTmas countdown….

Sweet CHRISTmas preparations to you….

I was delighted to read Ving’s perspective on birthplace in today’s English lesson.

Although this is not a great sentence, nor is it exactly following the directions….

Use capital letters to correctly write particular names for the following persons, places, and things.

#8. your birthplace  ______________________________

Ving’s answer:  Your birthplace is in the car?

Only a Salisbury.

That was NOT in the A Beka teacher’s answer key.